


An Attempt At A Romantic Comedy In Eight Acts (Only Without The Comedy Part)

by paperclipbitch



Category: Britannia High
Genre: Futurefic, M/M, forever fandom and otp, i just have so many feelings, stop looking at me like that, you guys will never get it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-09-17
Updated: 2014-09-17
Packaged: 2018-02-17 19:48:52
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,100
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2321249
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/paperclipbitch/pseuds/paperclipbitch
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>BB and Jez aren’t actually dating. But no one else seems to have noticed this.</p>
            </blockquote>





	An Attempt At A Romantic Comedy In Eight Acts (Only Without The Comedy Part)

**Author's Note:**

  * For [finkpishnets](https://archiveofourown.org/users/finkpishnets/gifts).



> [Originally posted on LJ in April 2009] Written for Bobbie, who is my forever _Britannia High _person.__

By the beginning of the third year, Lauren and Claudine have finally settled into being something disturbingly close to BFFs (at least, most of the time), Danny has managed to date about two-thirds of the year (including Jez for a particularly memorable fortnight, which was more entertaining than anything else since Jez wasn't actually aware that _were_ dating; he thought it was just an accidental drunken kiss at a party), and Lola still liberally misuses words but everyone's given up on trying to correct her.

BB and Jez moved in together in the middle of the second year, when juggling coursework, extra practical classes and a weekend job all got a little too tangled and paying living expenses, tuition fees and rent became an impossibility. Jez handed it all pretty well, actually, without being too patronising about the having-indecent-amounts-of-money thing (“Hey, you can pay me back when you’re rich and famous”). They haven’t killed each other yet and living together has not driven them both mad; in fact, the opposite has happened. They’ve actually reached a really scary level of domesticity that BB thinks ought to unsettle him a lot more than it actually _does_.

Three weeks after the start of term there’s a Welcome To Your Last Year open mic night; Jez spends most of the time happily having his personal space invaded by an admittedly pretty drama major, while BB does a very good job of being _in no way jealous_. He’s got really good about dealing with his deeply inappropriate crush on Jez, what with the really high number of Awkward Bathroom Incidents that occur as a result of living together in the really nice flat Jez’s dad bought them that, for some unknown reason, only has one bathroom.

BB isn’t at all surprised when Jez doesn’t make it home.

In spite of the fact that one of them is the heir to a company thing that’s worth millions, they’re still teenage boys and there’s no damn food in the house, so BB makes his way to BH early to eat whatever Ronnie’s serving up. He finds Danny, Claudine, Lauren and Lola are already there, putting last-minute touches to essays for Anna and stealing each other’s bacon.

“Where’s Jez?” Lauren asks sleepily, hands wrapped around her coffee cup.

BB shrugs. “Having breakfast in bed with lover-boy?” he suggests, sliding into a chair next to Claudine and awarding himself points for not sounding even slightly bitter.

The others all stare at him for a long time before all talking at once and not meeting his eyes. Lola gives him her toast. Lauren offers to proof-read his essay. It’s all very confusing, but BB decides it’ll be easier not to ask.

Jez wanders in just as they stop serving breakfast, in the same clothes he was wearing last night. BB catches the look on his friend’s face and pushes the other half of his coffee in his direction when Jez slumps beside him.

“Thanks,” Jez says sincerely, gulping down most of it in one go, “You’re fabulous.”

BB flutters his eyelashes. “I know.”

The others are very silent and are watching them intently; BB wonders if maybe there are secret drugs in the coffee this morning or something. 

“I should shower,” Jez decides, finishing the last of his coffee.

“You are such a _slut_ ,” BB says with feeling, but with enough teasing to take the sting from the words. He smiles. “Was it worth it?”

“Oh yes,” Jez replies, grinning way too widely, and then checking the time on his watch. “ _Shit_.”

“Go shower,” BB tells him, “I’ll cover for you with Anna.”

“Thank you,” Jez says, “I’ll take you out to lunch or something, ok?” He presses a brief kiss to BB’s temple and is gone.

BB notes that all their friends are glaring daggers after Jez.

“Uh… what?” he asks.

Lauren reaches over the table to catch his hand in hers. “You’re taking this _so well_ ,” she tells him.

“Yeah,” Claudine agrees, “If it were me, heads would roll.”

“I… have no idea what you’re talking about,” BB says slowly.

“We’re talking about Jez cheating on you,” Lola says, as though it’s completely obvious.

BB looks down at where his hand is still being clasped by Lauren’s, and stares at her blue glitter nail varnish while trying to process what’s happening. After a long moment, it still remains a mystery.

“You don’t have to say anything, mate,” Danny jumps in, “We just wanted you to know we’re here for you.”

Finally, BB raises his head and looks around at them. “Oh my God, you’re really not kidding, are you?”

Lauren’s sympathetic expression becomes one of confusion. “Kidding about _what_?” she asks.

It’s really far too early for this, and BB has not had nearly enough coffee to have this conversation. Actually, he’s not sure he could _ever_ have enough coffee to have this conversation.

“Jez isn’t cheating on me,” he says.

“He couldn’t have been more obvious about it if he’d come in wearing a t-shirt saying _I Got Laid Last Night_ ,” Claudine points out, with characteristic bluntness.

BB resists the urge to hide under the table and make unhappy noises until this all goes away.

“I know _that_ ,” he replies, struggling to remain rational in the face of so much madness, “It’s just that Jez isn’t cheating on me because there’s nothing for him to cheat _on_.”

Lauren abruptly lets go of his hand. “Oh,” she murmurs blankly.

Lola has put her lipgloss and mirror down and is now paying him her full attention. “But… but you _have_ to be dating!” she almost wails.

“ _Everyone_ thinks you’re dating,” Danny tells BB, as though thinking if they all repeat it often enough BB might tell them he’s lying, of course he and Jez are an item. 

“Everyone thought _you_ were dating Jez,” BB points out.

Danny shrugs. “ _I_ thought I was dating Jez,” he replies.

BB doesn’t miss the way Claudine rolls her eyes at this.

“But his dad bought you guys that flat!” Lola protests.

“You all live together,” BB reminds them, and doesn’t mention that time in first year when Danny tried Lauren and Claudine on for size because it never ends well. 

Claudine makes a face. “ _Ew_.”

“So you’re _really_ not dating Jez?” Lauren checks. “This isn’t just some reaction to Jez being…” She trails off, apparently unwilling to say any of the words that spring to mind.

“I’m going to class,” BB informs them firmly, needing to get away from this insanity before it gets worse. “I’m not dating Jez; I never have. Ok?”

Their faces still show they’re uncertain, but he’s becoming increasingly not in the mood for this, so BB flees from the cafeteria in as dignified a way as he can muster.

+

Jez is actually _cooking_ when BB gets home, humming to himself as he pokes at a sizzling stir fry.

“Is the world ending?” BB asks cheerfully.

Jez rolls his eyes. “It’s not _that_ rare an occurrence.”

“Uh, yeah, it kind of is, mate,” BB replies.

Jez scowls in a way that’s far too close to a pout, jerking his head towards their cupboards.

“Plates,” he says, in a _you’re an ungrateful sod_ tone of voice. BB obediently goes to find some, and even gets out some cutlery, which is about as domestic as he’s willing to get. Jez dishes up the stir fry, which smells heavenly, and they wander through to their living room.

BB was honestly not going to bring it up, but it’s been bothering him all day, ambushing his mind at quiet moments.

“Does it bother you that everyone seems to think we’re dating?” he asks.

Jez doesn’t even choke on his noodles. He finishes his mouthful and shrugs.

“Not really,” he replies. “Does it bother you?”

“Our _friends_ think we’re dating,” BB tells him. “I mean, if it was just the rest of the school-”

Jez waves a dismissive hand. “The whole year thought I was dating Danny for that fortnight.”

“ _Danny_ thought you were dating Danny,” BB replies, and this time a shred of bitterness appears in his voice before he can stop it escaping. Mercifully, Jez doesn’t seem to notice.

“That’s Danny for you,” Jez points out, and BB thinks they’re getting a little off-topic here.

“Your dad thinks we’re dating,” BB adds.

Jez sighs. “Yes, because my dad hasn’t quite realised that I can be friends with people who are male without being in a relationship with them.” 

“…Right,” BB says, and isn’t sure what he wanted Jez to say but it wasn’t _this_.

Jez puts his plate down on their coffee table – BB has _no idea_ why they have a coffee table; it seems to be a pretentious rich boy thing – and fixes BB with a very serious expression.

“If you have a problem with this I’ll _fix_ it,” he tells him, “I promise. We’ll find you a girl to do publicly indecent things to at the next open mic night, or we’ll orchestrate a super public break-up or something. Really, it’ll be ok.”

“It’s fine,” BB shrugs, still unable to figure out exactly what he _wanted_ from this conversation. “I just thought it was… weird, you know?”

Jez smiles. “We’re a drama school,” he points out, “When there isn’t enough drama going on we just make up our own!” He picks up his food again.

There isn’t an awkward silence as they watch TV that night, because there’s really nothing to be awkward about, but BB catches Jez looking at him thoughtfully a few times, like he’s trying to work something out, and he really doesn’t know _what_ to do with that.

+

Tuesday morning dance classes are almost worse than Monday morning classes; everyone is bleary-eyed and yawning and tripping over their own feet. Their latest dance-nazi teacher – none of them have managed to stay all that long since Stefan, and no one _ever_ mentions _him_ any more – spends at least half the lesson yelling at them and calling them all sorts of interesting variations on the word useless. 

They’re ordered to split into pairs and practice; this isn’t a dance for a performance, so they haven’t had partners picked for them. Lauren and Claudine gravitate towards each other, as they usually do in this situation – even if they have just about forgiven Danny for the whole _first year_ fiasco – and BB is about to go and ask Lola if she’ll put up with him accidentally stepping on her toes because he’s really not awake yet, when Danny gets there before him. Glancing around, BB can see that the rest of the class have partnered up in record time, leaving just him and Jez.

There’s a little smirk on Danny’s face that BB _does not like_ at all.

“We share a bathroom,” Jez observes quietly, “I’m sure we can cope with sharing each other’s personal space.”

BB really can’t read the expression on his face but can’t refuse without looking like an idiot and probably hurting his best friend, so he obediently moves into place, laying a careful hand over Jez’s hip.

“Are you really ok with this?” Jez asks, suddenly looking worried.

“Fine,” BB replies, “You’re just taller than the people I normally dance with.”

A warm, teasing smirk spreads across Jez’s face and BB tries not to pay too much attention to it because this close Jez will probably notice the way it makes his breathing go a little bit funny.

“ _You_ can be the girl,” he tells BB.

“I am not being the girl!” BB protests.

“I’m taller,” Jez points out, looking irritatingly triumphant.

“By, like, half a millimetre,” BB replies. “If you had flatter hair you wouldn’t be.”

Jez opens his mouth to reply but the music starts and they’re forced to shelve their bickering for later – or maybe their radio show, BB’s fairly sure they can get ten minutes and a text vote out of _which of us is taller?_ – in favour of remembering the new steps. It takes most of BB’s concentration to remember what he’s meant to be doing and when, so he can mostly ignore the fact that Jez is much easier to dance with than Lauren or Claudine or even Lola, and they know each other so well that they can anticipate each other’s movements easily. They get huge amounts of praise at the end of the class, but it doesn’t leave BB feeling as smug and proud as it normally does.

When the bell rings for the end of class Jez is running for the showers almost before the sound has finished echoing through the halls – he’s got a private tuition class with Anna in a few minutes – and BB glares at his friends, who are all smiling gleefully at him.

“What are you _doing_?” he demands.

“I have no idea what you’re talking about,” Claudine tells him. Even after three years of intensive drama classes, she can’t quite make an innocent expression _stick_ , and BB points this out to her. She gives him a poisonous look.

“Look,” Danny shrugs, “So you and Jez aren’t dating. Doesn’t mean you shouldn’t be.”

The others all nod fervently; it’s a little creepy.

“ _No_ ,” BB says softly, “No, tell me you haven’t got some crazy weird scheme to get us together.”

“Maybe we have, maybe we haven’t,” Danny replies, with a self-satisfied enigmatic little grin that makes BB hate him momentarily. “Anyway, we’d better get a move on, or we’ll be late.”

BB considers saying something childish and haughty like _I hate you all a lot_ , probably accompanied by a horribly flamboyant hand gesture, and then reflects that maybe he _has_ been spending far too much time with Jez.

+

“Jesus, why didn’t you _tell_ me?” Jez asks, eyes wide and hurt. 

“I’m telling you now,” BB replies, trying to keep his voice steady. 

“We’ve known each other for _years_ ,” Jez says, “I thought I knew everything about you, and then you just come out with something like this!”

“I’m sorry,” BB mumbles, reaching out to catch Jez’s arm as he starts to turn away. “I just… I didn’t think you’d be interested.”

“Why wouldn’t I be interested?” Jez asks, anger turning to confusion. “I mean, God, I haven’t exactly been _subtle_ , I just thought you were to uncomfortable to outright reject me, so you were just ignoring it instead.”

“I didn’t notice anything,” BB replies, and he thinks his fingers might be digging a little bit too hard into Jez’s arm, “I thought you didn’t feel that way about me. I thought we were just friends, I didn’t want to ruin that.”

“So why now?” Jez asks, and his voice has gone hoarse and soft. “Why take the risk now?”

“Because I can’t hide it any more,” BB responds.

Jez gets this smooth, pleased little smile on his face, though there’s a wistful edge to it, and he’s just leaning in a little when Nugent’s voice interrupts:

“Excellent work there, boys.”

The rest of the class burst into applause, though BB can tell that most of them think that this is a conversation he and Jez have _actually_ had at one point. _I should be so lucky_ , he thinks, and his smile turns a little rueful as he takes a bow.

“Right,” Nugent says, as they step down from the stage, “Let’s see who we’ve got next.”

He reaches into the shoebox where the suggestions for improvisation activities – suggested by everyone in the class – are being kept, and unfolds one. As he reads it out, he drops the one BB and Jez have just been doing – _Person A confesses their love for Person B_ – and BB gets a look at the handwriting. The swirly, pink handwriting.

He turns his head so fast he hears his neck click, but Lola is raptly watching Claudine and Lauren take the stage, tapping her pen against her bottom lip.

BB realises that this may be more serious than he thought it was; if _Lola_ is now being devious on his behalf, he’s clearly in trouble.

+

They all spend a weekend at Jez’s supermansion in order to make the most of the last of the autumn sunshine; the grounds stretch for an indecently long distance and over the past two years Jez’s dad has become increasingly ok with them all running up and down the corridors and blasting music through the ballroom. 

It’s always a little weird to see Jez at home, in this environment; there are photographs scattered about the place of him in his old private school uniform, looking proud and repressed and every inch the businessman he’ll never grow up to be. BB knows Jack Tyler has made his peace with the career path Jez has chosen, but from time to time he still looks regretful, straightening the silver picture frames. Oh, Jez’s dad is there at every single performance and comes backstage afterwards to shower his son with praise – he’s usually got several nice things to say to BB too, because BB no longer has anyone to come and watch who isn’t dancing alongside him – but it takes time to let go of dreams.

On Saturday night they make huge amounts of popcorn and are set to watch movies while piled on the big squashy sofas that are probably worth more than their entire flat. BB ends up sneaking out while they’re bickering over DVDs, and, as he usually does, wanders upstairs. Jack hears him in the hall – BB spends time here, but not enough to know where all the loose floorboards are – and pokes his head out of his study.

“Got time for a quick game?” he asks with a smile, and BB knows he should probably go back downstairs to try and mediate between Lola and Danny and their radically different taste in films, but instead he follows Jack into the room, taking one of the pool cues off the wall.

“I’ve been practising,” he warns.

“So have I,” Jack replies, “After you beat me last time I thought I’d better up my game.”

BB knows things have been kind of rough between Jez and his dad over the last couple years; they veer between getting on great, and Jez having telephone conversations that leave him slamming doors all over the flat for hours and writing all kinds of nearly-incomprehensible angry songs. But Jack has always been kind and friendly to BB, even when things with his own son are tough, and BB has a lot to thank him for. He repays him as best he can by smoothing over any cracks appearing in Jack and Jez’s relationship; he owes it to both of them.

They play in companionable silence for a while; it’s a sharp contrast to the noise of the afternoon, and BB appreciates it. He sometimes wonders how he’s going to cope when he’s all kinds of famous; being a superstar isn’t really conducive to getting _personal space_. 

Jack drops in a few casual questions about school; BB’s already learned that he doesn’t want _proper_ answers. He wants to know that things are going ok, but he doesn’t want to know the specifics; the fact Jez isn’t studying economics still stings at times. BB neatly evades the questions without making it look like he is; some of those acting classes have _really_ come in handy. They discuss the flat, and BB assures him that he and Jez haven’t yet burned it down or trashed it or any of the numerous destructive things that teenage boys can do to their very own non-parental-supervised home.

“And are things…” Jack trails off and leaves all sorts of things to implication, but BB’s had enough of these conversations to know that this is the point at which he should be saying _let me stop you there, Mr Tyler, your son and I are in no way a couple at all. At ALL_. 

He finds himself actually saying: “Yeah, things are really good.”

Jack smiles at him, and BB realises that although the words haven’t been said, he has essentially just told his best friend’s father that they are actually _dating_. He thinks about saying something to fix it, but doesn’t.

The _really_ depressing part is that Jack doesn’t even seem _surprised_.

When he slinks downstairs later, having once again won spectacularly – maybe they should get a pool table for the flat – he finds the others have stopped bickering and settled on _High School Musical 2_. There’s no point in telling them that they’re all sad losers or anything, since his friends could then point out that he knows all the words to all the songs and is really in no position to judge.

He squeezes onto a sofa between Jez and Lola, reaching for some popcorn. No one asks where he’s been; they’re used to him wandering off in the supermansion.

Jez smirks at him, taking his eyes off the dancing onscreen.

“Wanna sing a homoerotic song about baseball?” he offers casually.

BB shrugs. “I’m not saying I would, but… _if_ I did, what would you have me do?”

“Aww, you guys are _so cute_ ,” Lola squeaks on BB’s other side, before she gets jabbed hard by Claudine’s elbow. “ _Ouch_.”

Jez laughs, grabbing a handful of popcorn and settling down to watch the film, resting his head on BB’s shoulder. BB thinks about giving him a heads-up (as in _hey, your father now actively thinks we’re a couple ‘cause… I may have kind of told him we are_ ) but things are so comfortable and quiet right now he can’t bring himself to disturb the peace. He’ll tell Jez in the morning, he thinks.

+

Nearly a week later, Claudine makes a random excuse that BB doesn’t understand and drags them all out on a pub crawl of Central London, following a route that only she seems to know. 

“Is anyone else worried that Claudine is the only one who knows where we’re going and how we’re meant to get home and she’s drunk so many cosmos I’m amazed she’s _still alive_ , let alone capable of walking?” Jez asks. He seems to be clinging to a lamppost and it’s just as well they don’t have classes in the morning. He glances blearily around at the rest of them. “No? It’s just me then.”

BB shrugs. “Lola’s going to fall off her wedges any minute and break her leg,” he points out, “Then the ambulance can take us home.”

“Good point.” Jez grins, blindingly wide, and BB wonders just how drunk his friend is, before reflecting that he’s really kind of drunk too. A suspicion forms in his mind.

When they’ve all staggered into the next club, where the music is painfully loud but the drinks are fairly cheap, BB goes to find Claudine.

“Is _this_ your plan?” he demands. “Get us really drunk and see what happens?”

Claudine nods. “Pretty much,” she says.

“It’s not exactly _subtle_ ,” BB tells her.

“We _tried_ subtle,” Claudine responds, “It didn’t work. It’s time for _unsubtle_.” She waves a hand towards Jez. “Now, get over there and take advantage.”

BB is about to attempt to explain why that sentence is wrong on _so many levels_ when instead he is treated to the sight of Jez agreeing to dance with a random but very pretty guy.

“I _fucking hate_ your plan,” he informs Claudine.

She rolls her eyes, grabs his wrist, and leads him over to the bar, where Danny appears to be trying to chat up four people at once, with varying degrees of success. He’s at that very vibrant stage of his drunkenness, where he’s the life and soul of the party; one more drink and he’ll be facedown on the floor.

“What are you _doing_?” BB demands.

Claudine ignores him; instead, she walks over to Danny and says something urgent into his ear, accompanied by an interesting-looking hand gesture. Danny nods and immediately follows her back towards BB, and Claudine then leads both of them onto the dancefloor.

BB decides he might as well just go along with all this because it’s clear Claudine isn’t going to let him do anything else. 

“Look,” he begins, as they push their way through the writhing couples, “Shouldn’t we just let Jez do whatever it is he’s doing?”

“That would be counterproductive, mate,” Danny informs him brightly, and BB barely has time to marvel that his friend can use five-syllable words when he’s half a glass away from unconsciousness before Danny is distracting Jez’s dance partner with a smile and Claudine is shoving BB into Jez’s path.

Yeah, really, so much for _subtlety_.

“BB!” Jez says, and his words are running together. BB catches his waist more to keep him upright than anything else.

“How much have you _drunk_ tonight?” he asks. He knows Jez has drunk a lot more than he has because _everyone_ has drunk more than he has; he kind of figured something was up tonight so decided staying slightly sober would be a good idea. Besides, if he gets _too_ drunk he’s got way too much misery and resentment that always resurfaces, he’s not exactly a lot of _fun_.

“Too much,” Jez responds, and his arms loop around BB’s neck. “ _Way_ too much.”

_Gee, thanks Claudine_ , BB thinks, before reflecting that this isn’t really her fault, even he wants to make it hers. There are just too many variables.

“I’m taking you home,” he says, “Okay? So you’d better have money for a cab, rich boy.”

Jez does something that is kind of a nod, before sort of collapsing, and BB consigns himself to dragging six feet of skinny blonde through the club. It’s not as difficult as he thought it would be, because Jez has just enough awareness to keep walking, even if his fingers are digging way too hard into BB’s arms.

“Are you going to be sick?” BB asks, when they’ve finally got outside onto the cold pavement.

“Don’t think so.” Jez has his head mostly buried in BB’s shoulder, as though everything has just got too much for him, and his mumbling is barely intelligible.

“You’re an _idiot_ ,” BB mutters, because someone has to say it once.

“I know,” Jez replies sadly. 

With some effort, he manages to straighten himself up. His cheeks are flushed and his hair is a mess and for a moment he looks so damn vulnerable that BB can’t breathe. 

“Idiot,” Jez repeats, and then he leans forward. Their mouths collide more by accident than by any sort of intention, and BB is actually _holding Jez upright_ and he thinks, yes, he does want it, but not like _this_. He isn’t sure what Jez tastes of but it tastes like he drank a lot of it and any minute now he’s going to keel over and attempt to become one with the pavement.

He’s saved the effort of pulling away because Jez does it first, looking completely confused before he buries his face in BB’s shoulder again.

“Jesus fucking _Christ_ ,” BB says to no one in particular, because it seems kind of fitting. He sighs, shifting Jez’s nearly catatonic weight against his side. “Come on, mate,” he says, “Let’s try and get you home.”

\+ 

They both spend most of the next day asleep, waking up for fluids and painkillers, before dropping off again. BB decides to work under the assumption that Jez has no memory of anything after about ten o’clock the night before, so there’s no need for any sort of awkwardness between them.

Well, there’s no need for any sort of awkwardness until Jez’s dad calls in the evening. BB is just trying to work out whether he wants to call out for takeaway or just eat toast all night when Jez comes out of his bedroom, looking angrier than BB has ever seen him.

“My dad seems to be under the impression that we’re in a relationship,” he says, in a slightly trembling voice. “I told him, like I usually do, that we’re not; and do you know what he told me?”

“Look, Jez, I can-”

“He told me that _you’d said_ we were.” Jez fixes BB with a glare that’s equal parts fury, confusion and hurt. “What the _hell_ , BB?”

“I didn’t-”

“It’s so nice you informed my father before informing _me_ ,” Jez continues tightly. “He seems very happy about the whole thing, and I could hardly tell him that my flatmate seems to be utterly _delusional_ , so he’s still convinced that we’re _really_ a couple.”

“I’m sorry,” BB says. “I didn’t mean-”

“I’ve spent the last two years trying to convince my dad that I’m capable of being friends with guys I’m _not_ sleeping with, and what with the Danny fiasco last year and now _this_ , I’m never going to be able to have a male friend ever again without my dad immediately jumping to conclusions. Thanks for that.”

“I’m _sorry_ ,” BB insists. “I wasn’t thinking-”

“Yeah, I kind of figured that out for myself,” Jez snaps. “What, did you think it would be funny? Or is it that you don’t have parents to wind up any more, so you decided to play mind games with mine?”

“Don’t you _dare_ -”

“Fuck _you_ , BB”, Jez snarls, and then he’s slamming out of the flat, leaving a ringing silence behind.

BB stands there for a long while, and then decides he probably deserves it.

+

Jez doesn’t come home for the rest of the weekend and isn’t in the cafeteria on Monday morning, though he is in all their classes, silent and brooding and refusing to look at BB. It hurts and it doesn’t help that Claudine keeps giving BB _how much did you take advantage of him?_ sort of looks. Danny has a very interesting black eye that he has no memory of getting, and BB decides that the next time Claudine thinks a night out drinking is a good idea he’s going to say no and go home and watch _Camp Rock_ or something.

Well, if he’s still got a home; Jez has every right to kick him out. BB spends most of Anna’s music theory class feeling panic uncurling through his stomach; if Jez kicks him out he really won’t be able to afford to stay at Britannia High.

Lauren and Jez are both absent from the cafeteria at lunch, and BB can’t work out if that’s a good sign or not. Lola looks at the empty spaces on the table and then at BB’s face.

“Did you two break up?” she asks.

“There’s nothing _to_ break up,” BB grits, carefully putting his coke can down on the table before he accidentally crushes it.

Claudine sighs. “Well, I’m all out of ideas,” she says. “We’ve tried subtle, we’ve tried unsubtle, maybe you two are just destined to-”

“I’m not out of ideas,” Lauren interrupts, walking over to their table. “BB?”

“Yeah?”

“Come on.”

He thinks about feeling apprehensive but things can hardly get _worse_ , and anyway Lauren is considerably more sane than most of the people BB spends his life with, so he trusts her not to have come up with something dangerous and/or crazy.

“The thing is,” Lauren says, “No one’s actually thought of _talking_. And, you know, talking is kind of a useful way of sorting situations out.”

She has a point. “Jez won’t talk to me,” BB reminds her.

“Yes, he will,” Lauren replies, and he realises she’s leading him towards one of the music practice rooms. The bell is going and he’s due in class, like, _now_ , and he has no idea what to say at all.

“I can’t do this,” he tells her.

She ignores him, her fingers in a steely grip around his arm.

“Go for it,” Lauren says with a smile, and pushes him through the door before he has time to protest.

Jez is sat at the piano, picking out random notes, and for a moment he doesn’t seem to notice that BB’s come in. Then he does, and his expression becomes carefully neutral. Not angry, not hurt, not anything; just completely calm.

“Um,” BB says, when it becomes apparent Jez isn’t going to say anything, “I screwed up and I’m sorry.” Jez still says nothing, and it’s been a long weekend of worrying, and the next thing that tumbles out of BB’s mouth is: “Please don’t kick me out. I’ll get another job, I’ll pay you rent, just please, _please_ don’t kick me out.”

Finally, Jez’s expression changes to confusion. “I’m not going to kick you out,” he says, sounding puzzled that BB would even suggest it. “I’m angry with you, yeah, but I’ll never be _that_ angry.”

“Oh.” BB frowns. “Really?”

Jez gets up from the piano bench to walk over to him. “You’ll have to do a lot worse to make me want to deliberately ruin your future and your dreams.” He smiles a little ruefully. “I’ve already torn my dad’s dream to pieces, I’m not about to do the same to anyone else.”

And that, there, is really why BB loves Jez like he does; he’s had the most spoiled upbringing in a supermansion with a _ballroom_ , but he’s still as unselfish as they come.

“I’m so sorry,” he says, and Jez finally smiles.

“I know,” he replies, and he wraps his arms around BB. BB hugs him back, but gets the feeling this probably isn’t over.

When they finally pull apart, Jez walks back over to the piano bench, jerking his head to show BB should join him. He carefully closes the lid of the piano, and they sit together in silence for a long moment before Jez sighs.

“Just… _why_ did you do it?” he asks. “I really don’t understand.”

BB decides he might as well go with the truth, seeing as how lying hasn’t really got him anywhere.

“I’m getting tired of telling people we’re not in a relationship,” he replies, not looking at Jez.

Jez nods. “I guess it would get boring after a while.”

“No,” BB interrupts, “No, it’s just… it gets kind of soul-destroying after a while. So in the end I didn’t say _no_.”

Jez is looking confused again. “Hang on… so you _want_ to say you’re in a relationship with me?”

“Since about the second week of the first year, yeah,” BB replies, in a _you must have noticed by now_ sort of tone.

“Oh,” Jez says, which isn’t _really_ the response BB was going for. Then he bursts out laughing, which is also not really something BB wanted.

“ _What_?”

“First week of the first year,” he replies, and BB finds himself laughing too.

“Oh my God, why didn’t you _say_ something?”

“I thought I wasn’t being particularly subtle,” Jez shrugs. “Why didn’t _you_ say something?”

“I didn’t think I was being subtle either,” BB tells him.

Jez considers this. “I suppose this is why the rest of the year thought we were going out.”

“Probably,” BB agrees. “On the plus side, we won’t have to tell anyone we’ve got together, they all already know.”

Jez arches an eyebrow, looking amused. “Who says we’re getting together?”

BB curls a hand in Jez’s impossibly soft hair and kisses him. It’s much better now that Jez is sober and fully aware of what’s going on and doesn’t taste like he’s drunk about a gallon of alcohol, and when they part Jez is grinning.

“That’s… very persuasive,” he observes.

“You need any more persuading?” BB asks.

Jez shakes his head. “Not really, but feel free to do it anyway.”

BB laughs but obediently leans in again, catching Jez’s mouth with his own. He has no idea how long they stay like that, but eventually the bell jars them both apart. Jez looks reluctant, but says:

“We should probably go to class.”

“Probably,” BB agrees, equally reluctant.

“Come on,” Jez says, standing up. “Much as I’d like let you do dirty things to me on the piano, we really should go or Nugent will have our heads.”

“It would be worth it,” BB remarks, but he stands up too and goes to reclaim his bag.

“There will be other pianos,” Jez promises with a smirk that BB’s never seen before and kind of wants to keep.

“Promise?” he asks, entwining their fingers as they walk out into the corridor.

“Promise,” Jez replies, with a good attempt at sombre before his smile breaks out again. “Well, here we are, even if it is two years too late.”

Lauren might actually have a point about this _talking_ thing; BB will have to remember to tell her.

**end.**


End file.
